Devil in the Detail
by Drowned Mermaid
Summary: Hermione Granger leads the perfect life; she's top of her class at Hogwarts, she's popular, and she has countless boys falling at her feet. However, her school year takes a turn for the worse when strange events start to happen, and somehow they all seem to lead back to the mysterious Tom Riddle… (AU)


Author's Note: Hi guys! I thought it would be interesting to write a story where Tom Riddle was born at around the same time as Harry and the rest of the gang, so here it is! I hope you all enjoy it! For my 'Once Upon Another Time' readers, so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time but I'm afraid I'll have to put the story on hiatus for now.

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone/anything from the Harry Potter universe... unfortunately.

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**Devil in the Detail**

**I**

Hermione Granger was confident that this would be her year.

Well, one could argue that _every_ year belonged to her. Every year she achieved stellar grades in every class, and every year she maintained her much coveted status as one of the most popular girls in Hogwarts. But now that she was a Sixth Year, Hermione was determined to make the upcoming school year even better than the rest.

But the truth was, Hermione had not always been the greatly admired beauty that she was now. She cringed every time she recalled how she looked like as an eleven-year-old entering Hogwarts for the first time, with her unkempt bushy hair and buckteeth that could rival those of any rabbit. Luckily, she soon came to her senses after it was made abundantly clear (mostly by classmate and fellow Gryffindor Ronald Weasley) that nobody wanted to be friends with a snotty know-it-all.

That Christmas break during her first year when she went home, she begged her dentist parents to fix her teeth, discovered the miracle that was Brazilian hair straightening, and read every single fashion magazine that she could get her hands on as if her life depended on it. Well, her social life certainly did. When she returned to Hogwarts, she was a completely different Hermione, and everybody noticed.

"Here we are," Hermione's dad announced as he stopped the car in front of King's Cross station. He turned his head around to face his darling daughter sitting in the backseat. "Do you want us to see you off at the platform?"

"No, this is far enough," Hermione said, closing her compact mirror and stuffing it in her Chanel purse. She may have spent most of her time in the wizarding world, but she was always up to date with Muggle fashion. "Bye mum, bye dad!" she gave her parents a quick kiss on the cheek each before getting out of the car with her trunk. She was very relieved she had mastered extension charms over the summer, as it made it possible for her to fit practically her entire wardrobe into her small and chic trunk.

Ten minutes and one short sprint through a brick wall later, Hermione was on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters boarding the Hogwarts Express along with the hundreds of other students that attended her school. Several people greeted her as she passed them in the train, but she had no interest in conversing with them. As she walked by each compartment she checked to see who was occupying it, trying to find her best friends.

"Hello, Hermione."

Finally, someone who Hermione actually liked. It was Harry Potter, a boy in her year and the star Seeker and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was also a fellow prefect, so he and Hermione spent quite a bit of time working together.

"Harry! How was your summer?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"Good, thanks. I went to Greece with my family. Oh, this is my sister, Jasmine. She's starting Hogwarts this year." Harry put his arm around the small girl standing next to him. Jasmine Potter, who had the same black hair and bright green eyes as her older brother, looked at Hermione nervously. There was no doubt that the younger girl had heard about her reputation.

"Nice to meet you, Jasmine. Let's hope you get sorted in Gryffindor," Hermione said, giving Jasmine a cheeky wink.

"Yoo-hoo! Mione!" a bubbly blonde girl poked her head out of her compartment door, waving frantically to Hermione. "Over here!"

"Oh, I've got to go. I'll see you in the prefects' meeting, Harry!" Hermione said quickly. She rushed over to the compartment and the two girls inside squealed with excitement as she walked in.

"There you are!" Parvati Patil exclaimed in glee.

"We've missed you so much!" Lavender Brown shouted, jumping up and down on the spot. The three girls came together in a tight group hug.

"I missed you guys too!" Hermione said, pleased that she was finally reunited with her best friends.

Hermione wasn't too fond of Lavender and Parvati when she first met them but despite their vast differences in personalities, she soon became very close with them. As the only three Gryffindor girls in their year, it was only natural that they stuck together.

"We have _so_ much gossip to tell you!" Lavender's brown eyes seemed to glow as she spoke the word 'gossip'.

"Alright, let's hear it then," Hermione said as she closed the compartment curtains for some privacy so that she could change into her uniform. She wasn't a fan of gossiping like her best friends, but sometimes they provided her with interesting news.

"Sooo, loads of people saw Ginny Weasley and Neville snogging in the middle of Diagon Alley last week!" Lavender announced. "Right in the middle of the street, in front of everyone!"

"She sure gets around," Hermione commented while undressing.

"I heard the Weasleys are really struggling to make ends meet, which is why her parents are pushing Ginny to snag a rich boy."

"The Longbottom family is quite well-off, aren't they?" Parvati added. "Neville's parents are both Aurors, and Aurors do get paid quite a bit!"

"Poor Neville! I mean obviously he's not a looker but he still deserves better than a gold-digging ginger like Ginny Weasley!" Lavender said.

"Calm down, aren't you two being a bit harsh?" Hermione raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "You don't even know if it's true!"

"It makes sense though!" Parvati persisted.

"We'll get down to the bottom of this," Lavender said, more determined than ever. "Oh, Mione, how are things with Cedric?"

"I broke up with him," Hermione revealed.

"What?!" Lavender and Parvati shrieked in unison.

"But you two were adorable together!" Parvati pointed out.

Hermione said, "After he graduated he said we could spend summer together, but then he got that job at Gringotts and he didn't have any time for me at all. So I told him it was time to part ways."

"He must be devastated," Parvati sighed disappointedly.

Cedric Diggory was Hogwart's biggest heartthrob until the day he graduated, so when he asked Hermione out for the first time in her fourth year, the answer was a no-brainer. He was a true gentleman who opened doors for her and said all the right things, but there was hardly any chemistry in their relationship. If she was being completely honest, what Hermione _really_ loved was all the attention that it brought from the rest of the student body.

"I guess." Hermione shrugged, rather carelessly. "I'm just ready to move on."

"You know, Seamus told me that Katie Bell told him that Cormac McLaggen has a massive crush on you!" Lavender said.

"McLaggen?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at her blonde friend. "I'm sure that boy's taken one too many Bludgers to the head."

"But he's so, so fit!" Parvati gushed.

"I suppose he is," Hermione said, now fully changed into her school uniform. She expertly did her scarlet and gold tie up neatly. "Anyway, I'm off to the prefects' meeting now."

"Ciao, darling, see you later!"

Hermione exited the compartment and made her way to the prefects' compartment at the front of the train. She passed by Justin Finch-Fletchley, who waved at her. He was Muggleborn, just as she was. Hermione had heard that in the past, witches and wizards of Muggle descent were often discriminated against, but things were different now. Blood status didn't seem to be that big of a deal, except for some of the oldest Pureblood families who were still as prejudiced as ever.

Speaking of those old Pureblood families…

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Granger." an arrogant looking boy blocked her path. Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and glared at the blond Slytherin. Draco Malfoy was without a doubt the most conceited, smug, intolerable human being that Hermione ever had the displeasure of meeting.

"Malfoy," Hermione said his name with venom. "Move."

He slowly lowered his head towards her and whispered in her ear, "Make me."

His voice made her shiver, but she knew she couldn't let him get away with it in front of so many onlookers. Hermione, never one to back down from a challenge, raised her knee sharply until it came contact with Draco's groin. He immediately let out a cry of pain and fell onto the floor. The people around them reacted with shock, but the Gryffindors were clearly entertained by the scene.

"You crazy bint!"

"Nice to see you too, Malfoy!" Hermione said cheerfully before she stepped over his body and continued making her way down the corridor.

She entered the prefects' compartment, which had been magically extended into a meeting room that was large enough to accommodate a large table and enough chairs for twenty-four students. At the head of the table were the new Heads, Eddie Carmichael and Cho Chang. Hermione was not surprised to see them since they were both particularly intelligent, even for Ravenclaws.

"Right, let's get started," Eddie said. Hermione quickly took her seat next to Harry.

"First of all, we'd like to welcome our new prefects," Cho stated in her thick Scottish accent, addressing the group of Fifth Years at the end of the table that Hermione couldn't have cared less about. "Congratulations on making prefect, and we're glad to have you on board our team."

Instead of listening to Cho drabble on about rules and responsibilities, Hermione's eyes wandered over to the other prefects in her year. Sitting across her were the Ravenclaw prefects, Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil, and next to them were the prefects from Slytherin.

There was Pansy Parkinson, who wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but then again neither were the other girls in her house. Hermione loathed everything about her, from her ugly short bob haircut to her sickeningly shrill voice that could only be compared to fingernails on a chalkboard.

As for Tom Riddle… he was without a doubt the only student in the whole school capable of giving Hermione a run for her money. Hermione viewed him as a serious threat to her reputation as the best student in school, and she secretly rejoiced every time she received a better mark than him on an assignment. He was tall, dark and very handsome, but even his good looks couldn't save him from a life of being a loner. He kept mostly to himself, and didn't even seem to have much of a relationship with any of his Slytherin housemates. Hermione could only recall speaking to him a handful of times in the past five years, and none of their conversations had lasted more than five syllables.

"All prefects are required to do patrol duty twice a week after curfew. Here are your schedules." The Head Girl handed each prefect a piece of parchment.

Hermione's read: _Monday, 10 to 11 o'clock, third floor. Thursday, 9 to 10 o'clock, sixth floor._

"Please remember to thoroughly read your prefect handbooks in order to know the appropriate number of points to dock…"

Hermione knew the handbook off by heart and had no interest in listening to Cho Chang's voice any longer, so instead she gazed out the window and wondered whether or not her parents could be convinced to buy her that Burberry trench coat that she had coveted for so long. After what seemed like hours, the Eddie and Cho finally dismissed the prefects and Hermione hurried back to the compartment where Lavender and Parvati were. It wasn't until the sun began to set that the train came to a halt at Hogsmeade station.

"We're here!" Lavender shouted happily, which woke Parvati up from slumber and made her jump.

Hermione looked out the window at the vast Black Lake, and the imposing castle that stood on the other side.

Her perfect year was about to begin.

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And there we have it, the first chapter! What did you think of it? Drop me a review and I'll love you forever.


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